Rate My Professor Madhavan Nair

Madhavan Nair, Ph.D., is a Distinguished University Professor and founding Chair of the Department of Immunology and Nano-Medicine in the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. Recruited in August 2006 as the inaugural faculty member following Florida's authorization of the new College of Medicine, he advanced to roles including Associate Vice President for Nanomedicine, Associate Dean for Biomedical Research, and Director of the Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology. Earlier in his career, Dr. Nair served on the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and as a tenured Professor and Director of Research in Allergy and Immunology in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology at SUNY Buffalo. He obtained his Ph.D. in Cancer Immunology from Tata Memorial Cancer Center, Bombay University, India, followed by training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Holding certifications as a Clinical Nutrition Specialist and fellowships from the American College of Nutrition and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Dr. Nair retired on June 28, 2024, after nearly 50 years as a biomedical researcher.

Dr. Nair's investigations have significantly shaped the fields of HIV research and nanotechnology within Medicine, focusing on neuroAIDS progression influenced by drugs of abuse such as alcohol, cocaine, morphine, and methamphetamine. He developed innovative nanotechnology platforms, including magneto-electric nanoparticles enabling externally controlled release of anti-HIV drugs like AZTTP across the blood-brain barrier. Among his landmark contributions are the discovery of suppressor factors in cancer serum (1978), the first report of diminished natural killer cell activity in intravenous drug users (1986), morphine-induced apoptosis in lymphocytes (1997), biological activities of HIV recombinant gene products (PNAS, 1988), cocaine's upregulation of HIV co-receptors enhancing infection susceptibility, and methamphetamine's exacerbation of HIV replication in dendritic cells. With over 300 peer-reviewed publications (170 at FIU), two edited scientific books, 17 U.S. patents, and more than $25 million in research funding chiefly from NIH—including FIU's inaugural MERIT Award (2008-2018)—Dr. Nair earned accolades such as Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2019), University of Michigan Distinguished Research Scientist Award (1990), SUNY Exceptional Research Scholar Award (2005), and various FIU honors. He mentored over 50 students across levels and contributed to NIH study sections since 1980, organizing conferences and chairing sessions.